Philosophy of Divine Loue

difficulty is that the mind has been attached to the material

world since time immemorial, and this attachment has become
very firm. Had the mind been neither attached to the world
nor to God, then surrender would have been effortless. Hence,
the first step is to detach the mind; this can be achieved
through an understanding of the reality of the world. Only The Nature of the World
then will surrender to God be possible.

'sariJsaratiti sariJsiiral;J'; 'gacchatiti jagat'

"That which is in a state of constant flux is referred

to as the world." The world is made of Maya, and this Maya
is an eternal power of God. The Upani~d states-

miiyiiriJ tu prakrtiriJ vidyiinmiiyinariJ tu mahesvaram

tasyiivayavabhiitaistu vyiiptariJ sarvamidariJ jagat
(Svetalivatara Upani$ad)

Maya is no illusion or false notion, it is a power.

ajiimekiiriJ 10hitasuklakr{lJ;liiriJ.....
(Veda)

According to this quotation, Maya is a power of God

through which this world is created. Now both the material
objects and the mind, haVing the same material source, help
each other. God on the other hand is a Divine entity, hence
the mind is not naturally attracted to Him.

Nature of the Soul

Before we contemplate upon the reality of the world,

let us reflect upon who we are, and whether we desire
happiness of the self or that of another. Your response will
be, "I don't know who I am, but 1 do know that I desire
58
59
Philosophy of Divine Loue
my own happiness." Now if you were a material being, then
you would have attained happiness from material objects. But
the truth is that you are a part of God, hence you can
only become blissful when you attain Divine bliss. This
philosophy is logically acceptable, and has been proved through
our own experience since time immemorial. If we, the divine
souls, could attain true happiness through material objects,
then we would never have been unhappy, dissatisfied, or
miserable because we have attained material happiness in
varying degrees throughout our innumerable lives. This is
definite proof of the fact that we are not material beings,
because material things have never really satisfied us. However,
this fact requires more serious contemplation.
Some naIve materialists declare that the soul, like the
sense organs, is also a result of the body. The body as
well as the '1', are made of the four elements: earth, water,
fire and air. They claim that perceptual evidence is the only
form of evidence. Amongst these materialists, some consider
the body, some the sense organs, and some the vital breath
to be the soul. The worldly joys alone are considered as
heaven, and separation from or destruction of these material
joys, is considered as hell. They believe in the following
philosophy -
yiivaj jlvet sukham jlvet rrJam krtvii ghrtam pibet
(Ciirooka)
"Eat, drink and be merry whilst you live, even if you
have to resort to borrowing to attain that happiness."
bhasmlbhiitasya dehasya punariigamanam kuta~
(Ciirooka)
"When you die, the 'I' also dies along with the body.".
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Philosophy of Divine Love
Now, observe carefully. We use phrases like "I am fat.",
"I am thin.", in daily life, but to identify ourselves with the
body is naIve. When we pass from childhood to adolescence,
and thence to old age, we are always conscious that the
'I' is the same. The 'I' consciousness does not change at
all. If the 'I' were the body, then when the child becomes
a youth, there should be no consciousness of the fact that
the '1', who was a child, that same 'I' is a youth now,}
and so on.
Consciousness is not perceived in external elements such
as earth, water, etc. Hence, consciousness cannot be
considered as an attribute of the elements. However, some
materialists claim that consciousness is only an attribute of
the elements that are transformed into the body. But this
statement is totally wrong. Note, at the time of death there
is no consciousness in the body, although the body is still
present.
Again, if it is stated that an assembly of all elements
should be called consciousness, then with the destruction of
one part, the whole should be destroyed.
If every part. is said to be conscious, then there will
always be a controversy. Besides, it is naiVe to consider
consciousness as an attribute of the body, just because it
is seen manifested in it, and not outside it. This view can
easily be refuted. For example, water can be hot, but heat
is not a quality of water; it is a quality of fire. Both heat
and light are attributes of fire, they are· not the attributes
of wood. Fire requires a medium such as wood, coal or
any other combustible substance in order to manifest its
qualities. We cannot deny the existence of fire in the absence
61
 Philosophy of Divine Loue
of wood or coal. In the same way, consciousness, though
residing in the insentient body is an attribute, not of the
body, but of the soul.
Let us reflect upon this fact through our own experience.
When you are In the waking state you say "I see." "1 h "
"I II " ' ,ear. ,
sme ., etc., as if you were the sense organs.
But when you enter the dream state, although your sense
organs are inactive at that time you still see, hear, smell,
and so on. From this, it is obvious that you are not the
sense organs.. When you enter the state of deep sleep, you
do not expenence anything.
'sukhamahamasviipsam'; 'na kiriJcidahamavedi~am'
:'1 slept so peacefully that I did not know anything."
In thIS state, even the mind is inactive. Besides th· .
d iI l·f al IS, In our
a y 1 e, we so talk about "my mind, my eyes my ear
my
, , bod,y, ~~. t" But whatever is mine cannot be the'
T: the
I or me 1~ a~ways separate from the 'mine'. Wherever
the pronoun my or 'mine' is used, that is not what I am.
Thls,l,s a logical answer to the question, "Who am I?" Thus,
the I IS not a material thing, while the rest, i.e. the mind
senses, etc. are all material.
According to the Vedas, the soul is a fraction
part of God _ or a
cinmiit~ariJ_ Srih?rera~sariJ siik~mamak~aramavyayam
kr~'.Iadhmamlti prahur jivariJ jriiinagu'.liisrayam
(Veda)
We find the same stated in the Gita and Ramayarya-
mamaiviiriJso jivaloke jivabhiitat:a saniitanat:a
(Gltii)
62
Philosophy of Divine Loue
isvara ariJsa jiva aviniisi
(Riimiiyana)
From this, it is evident that the T is not the senses,
mind or intellect, but it is an eternal part of God. Therefore,
we can only be satisfied when we attain Divine bliss. Both
logic and experience reveal that material happiness is totally
opposite to this. This is the reason why, in spite of the
mind and intellect trying to deceive us with the constant hope
of attaining happiness through sense objects, we have not
yet gained any true happiness, though we have acquired those
objects time and again. Had we, i.e. the T been of the
same category as the mind and intellect, we would have been
deceived. But the T is a divine entity, hence even though
we may have attained the best of material objects, we are
not truly happy.
s,
Now, we shall undertake a detailed reflection upon the
external and internal form of the world. It is here that the
mind is tied, because it is the firm belief of the intellect
that there is definitely happiness in the world. Therefore,
we are constantly engaged in efforts to attain it.
'
The world is divided into two: one is the inner world
of desires and the other, the gross outer world. The world
of desires is present in each and every individual's mind through
sarhskaras (potential tendencies) from innumerable past lives.
It is present in the form of desires for the gross material
objects. That which is a subject of the world of desires, is
referred to as the outer gross world. Between these two worlds,
it is the world of desires that is more powerful. The reason
is that even when the gross objects of the world are absent,
the world of desires continues to be stimulated through the
thinking process. Suppose a devoted wife's husband is in
England, she continues to suffer the pangs of separation even
63
Philosophy of Divine Love
though he is no longer before her. However, when the gross
world is present, then the subtle world of desires becomes
stronger. Also, it often happens that on perception of the
gross world, the subtle world of desires takes form by itself.
The main reason is that desires are constantly present in
the mind. Sometimes, desires become intense even without
the presence of gross material objects and disturb -the mind.
And sometimes, non-awareness of internal desires leads to
the birth of desires on contact with external material objects.
However, it is a universal fact of experience that contact
with external objects intensifies the inner world of desires,
thus resulting in bringing restlessness to the individual. Now,
if the inner desires are somehow put to an end, then the
external objects cannot disturb our mental peace. These
external objects disturb us only when the desires for those
objects are present in the mind. Desire is the main problem.
If desire is conquered, then even if the external material objects
continue to exist, they will have no effect on us.
One thing is certain, and that is, if the intellect makes
a firm decision that the objects of the external world cannot
fulfill our goal of Supreme happiness, then the internal desires
will automatically come to an end. So the first step is to
make a firm decision with the intellect, through constant
reflection, that there is not a trace of happiness in the material
world.
Now let us reflect on whether there actually is happiness
in any material object. You may say that when we acquire
wealth, wife, husband, children etc., we experience happiness.
How then can the intellect possibly accept the fact that there
is no happiness in the world? However, if you seriously reflect
upon this fact, the intellect will definitely change its decision.
Now, what is that which is a source of happiness to you?
If any object were to contain happiness, then firstly, that
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Philosophy of Divine Love
happiness would have been experienced by everyone.
Secondly, there would be no separation from that happiness,
nor would it be followed by any kind of pain. But these
two conditions are not fulfilled by any material object. Take
alcohol for instance. A drunkard experiences happiness at
the very mention of the name of alcohol, and definitely
experiences more happiness when he actually drinks it. But
the same alcohol is a source of displeasure to a non-drinker.
So the question is, does alcohol contain the happiness that
is experienced by the alcoholic, or does it contain the sorrow
experienced by the holy pandit, who does not drink? You
may object saying that the holy pandit has never drank alcohol;
so his experience cannot be accepted. If he were to actually
taste it, he would also experience the same happiness, as
that experienced by the alcoholic. However, to make such
an objection is na·ive. For if that holy pandit were made
to drink alcohol, he would probably feel sick, and be miserable
throughout his life.
Now, let us suppose there was a man called Umesh.
He had a Wife, children, a friend, a servant and a neighbour.
He also had a friend who happened to owe him some money.
One day, Umesh died suddenly of a heart attack. His Wife,
upon hearing the news, fainted in grief. When the son was
informed, he did not faint, but gave vent to his sorrow in
uncontrollable tears. The friend heard; he did not cry, but
nevertheless felt sad. The servant too was upset for sometime.
When the neighbour was told about Umesh's death, he was
neither unhappy nor happy. He continued to enjoy his
breakfast and said to his wife, "I have just heard that Umesh,
who lives next door, died of a heart attack last night." His
wife too was unaffected by this news, and continuing her
sweeping said, "That is bad news. Both his wife and children
are still quite young. However, what God wills is bound to
65

Philosophy of Divine Love
be." In contrast, the dishonest friend was overjoyed to hear
this news, because he now had no intention of returning
the money he owed Umesh.
It so happened that Umesh had not in fact died. He
had merely fainted, and the doctor erroneously declared him
dead. When his wife came to know that he was alive, she
fainted again. However, this time it was in happiness. The
son heard, and shed tears of joy. His friend heard and was
pleased, but could not share the intensity of the son's joy.
His servant too was happy; and the neighbour again, was
indifferent. ,But he did convey the news to his wife.
"Remember, I earlier mentioned that Umesh had died. Well,
there obviously was some mistake in the doctor's diagnosis.
He is alive and out of danger." His Wife, continuing with
the dish-washing said, "You really can't trust these doctors
today. Anyway, I am pleased for his family." When the
dishonest debtor heard that Umesh was alive, he was very
miserable, because he knew he would now be obliged to
repay the debt.
Now the question arises: Is Umesh a source of happiness,
or is he a source of sorrow, or neither? If he is accepted
as a source of happiness, then what is the degree of
happiness? Would it be the level of happiness experienced
by the wife, or the level of happiness experienced by the
son, or less? Or would it be that which was experienced
by his ·friend, or the servant? Or maybe Umesh is in fact
a source of sorrow, as was experienced by the debtor? Or
maybe neither, as was experienced by the neighbour who
did not feel any joy or sorrow?
Each individual's experience was different. From this we
can conclude that Umesh is neither a source of happiness
nor sorrow. The degree of happiness each one experienced
66
Philosophy of Divine Love
through him was directly proportional to the fulfillment of their
own selfish desires. And that happiness was proportional
to the extent of each one's expectations of happiness from
their relationship with him.
In truth, there is no happiness in Umesh. This is the
reality of experience with each and every object in the material
world. Whenever we constantly reflect upon any object or
person, thinking of them as a source of happiness, we
experience happiness according to our own mental
expectations, and delusively think that the pleasure comes
from that particular thing or person.
There is one important truth that requires understanding.
If one does not experience happiness from any object, then
one cannot experience sorrow from that object, either.
Experience of sorrow depends upon experience of happiness.
Observe, when Umesh died, his wife experienced the greatest
sorrow; less than her grief was the grief of her son; less
than the son's grief was the grief of the friend, and least
of all was that of the servant. The neighbour, on the other
hand was indifferent, whilst the debtor experienced happiness.
Now, it is evident that when a person experiences a certain
amount of happiness from an object or person, that same
person is bound to experience sorrow in the same proportion
when separated from that object or person. In reality, there
is no sorrow in any object. Whatever we experience is a
result of our own mental reflections.
The second truth with regard to worldly happiness is that
the happiness we experience from any object, constantly
diminishes. For example, a mother has been crying for two
days in the grief of separation from her lost son. She is
desperate to find him so that she could run and embrace
him to her heart's content. Now suppose he is found; she
67
 Philosophy of Divine Love
runs to him crying, "Son, my son", and embraces him very
tightly, experiencing great joy. When she embraces him for
the second time, the joy is less than that experienced the
first time. The third time, it is less than the second time
and the tenth time when she embraces him, she experienc~
neither joy nor sorrow. On the eleventh time, she says to
her son, "Go out and play." But her son wants to remain
in her lap. Now the mother begins to experience unhappiness
because of his stubborn insistence. She shouts at him in
irritation, "Are you a special child that I should constantly
keep you in my lap? Leave me alone now, because I have
plenty of other things to do."
You must have eaten chocolates. When you ate the first
chocolate you experienced great pleasure, on eating the
second, the pleasure was less, on the third even less. On
eating the tenth, you experienced neither pleasure nor
displeasure, and on the fifteenth you protested, "Please, I can't
have another. I feel sick." Now if there were happiness in
chocolates, or any other food or object, why is there this
constant abatement in the pleasure experienced, and the
eventual displeasure? Obviously our experience is a deception.
It is merely a result of our own imagination, a fabrication
of the mind.
When you are thirsty you love water, but not when
your thirst is quenched. A lustful man longs for a woman,
but when that lustful craving is absent, that same woman
becomes burdensome. This fact is experienced by everyone,
but no one actually bothers to reflect upon it. No one bothers
to analyze the delusive nature of material happiness. It is
obvious that there is not a trace of happiness in any object
of the world. Whatever we experience is the deceptive result
of our own imagination. Observe, people think that there
is happiness in beauty, but our own experience is contrary
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Philosophy of Divine Love
to this thinking. Suppose a woman's ugly son gets lost in
a fair. She lodges a complaint at the police station. There,
she is shown a number of children, who were found wandering
about alone at the fair. She looks at them one by one, but
experiences no joy because her ugly son is not among them.
Now the other children present at the police station, were
better-looking than her son; but she did not experience any
happiness from them. However ugly her son was, he
alone was her source of joy.
One man is ready to shoot a beautiful woman and another
stands between them ready to die for her. Why is it so?
On making an enquiry it is discovered that the woman is
the wife of the man who is ready to shoot her, and the
other, willing to die for her, is her lover. Now if there were
happiness in beauty, both of them would have experienced
it equally.
A worm that breeds on garbage enjoys the odour of
that garbage. It would probably die if put on a sweet-scented
flower. From this it is obvious that there is no happiness
in beauty, fragrance, etc. When an object is constantly reflected
upon to be a source of happiness, the result is attachment
to that object.
dhyayato vi{iayanpumsaJ:! sangaste{iupajayate
krodhadbhavati sammohaJ:! sammohatsmrtivibhramaJ:!
smrtibhramsadbuddhinaso
. buddhinasatpranasyati
.
(Gita)
The third truth about worldly pleasures is that attainment
of any object is always preceded, accompanied and followed
by unhappiness. In spite of this fact, each and everyone is
constantly striving in the hope of attaining happiness. Suppose
69
 Philosophy of Divine Love
for example a woman desires to have a son. To fulfill her
desire, she gets married and loses her independence. After
many years of marriage her desire for a child is not yet
fulfilled. She is restless and resorts to various medicines and
remedies. Suppose she eventually does bear a child. She will
obviously be happy, but the happiness will be only momentary,
as it will immediately be followed by the problems experienced
during the nine months of pregnancy. The severe austerity
a mother has to go through during pregnancy and the birth
of a child cannot be completely realized even by the mother
herself, because she constantly experiences the happiness of
expectation at the same time. What happens after the child
is born? The happiness experienced is again momentary,
because it is immediately followed by the worry of protecting
and looking after the child, and also by the constant fear
of losing it. These anxieties continue throughout her life. If
her son becomes a problem-child, then the mother is always
miserable. If he dies, then intense grief is natural. The
conclusion is that the effort to attain any material possession
involves trouble; and once attained, constant protection of it,
together with the fear of losing it, involves pain; and when
that possession is destroyed, there is nothing but suffering
and pain.
One more point needs to be noted. There is definitely
an experience of momentary happiness when a desire is
fulfilled, but it is immediately followed by greed for more.
One who acquires a million rupees is engaged in finding
ways and means to acquire two million. Thus the vicious cycle
of planning and implementation of the plan follows. If the
desire is unfulfilled, anger takes birth. Every desire
is either fulfilled or unfulfilled, hence one of the two, that
is anger or greed is bound to follow. Thus, with the appearance
of any desire, pain inevitably follows. Suppose someone
suggests that desires should be totally avoided. It is impossible
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Philosophy of Divine Love
to do so. The reason is that, unless and until we attain
true Divine bliss, the emergence of desires is natural. No one
can put an end to them.
Another major delusion which people suffer from in the
material world is that each one presumes that whatever he
or she possesses is not enough to give happiness. Just as
one who is a millionaire always thinks, "If only I were to
become a billionaire, everything would be perfect; I would
really be happy." But this is a mere delusion. Suppose for
example a minister is touring the country, and his Rolls Royce
happens to break down in a village. He leaves his car and
travels back to town in another car. An ignorant villager passing
by, happens to see the Rolls Royce and stops to admire
it. He thinks, "If I could get a chance to sit in this car
just for a few seconds, what a pleasure it would be!"
Coincidentally, he did get employed as a chauffeur by the
same minister, whose Rolls Royce he had once seen in his
village. Now this ignorant villager sat in that very car in which
he had once longed to sit for just a few seconds. He was
really overjoyed on the first day. But as time passed and
his job became more demanding, the initial joy gradually wore
off. Soon he was constantly grumbling to his Wife, "It is better
to beg for a living, than to take up the job of a chauffeur.
Believe me, it is really a dog's life." Every time he looks
at the Rolls Royce now, the very sight of it sickens him.
What happened to the joy he had initially imagined? This
is the experience of each and every person. Before an object
is acquired, one experiences pleasure in the delusive hope
of attaining happiness in the future, if the object is acquired.
But the moment we acquire it, the experience is quite contrary.
Instead of happiness, one begins to experience sorrow.
Therefore one should abandon this foolish expectation of
attaining a higher level of happiness upon acquiring better
material objects. The happiness experienced by a beggar in
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Philosophy of Divine Love
embracing her ugly, lame child, is the same as that experienced
by a queen in embracing her delicate prince. There is absolutely
no difference in the happiness experienced, although it may
externally appear to be totally different. The pleasure
experienced by a cow in eating green grass, is the same
as that experienced by a king who is served innumerable
delicacies.
It is impossible for a clerk to understand and accept,
that the pleasure he experiences from his new bicycle is the
same as that experienced by his manager from a new
Mercedes. Again, after a couple of months, when he overhears
his manager grumbling about how tiring it is to drive a car
for four hours a day, he refuses to accept this. He can
understand riding a cycle to be tiring, but not comfortably
sitting in a car and driving it.
Thus, no one is willing to accept that those who are
materially higher placed or better endowed than they, are not
happier. If only we were to understand the fact that after
a person has enjoyed a standard of living for some time
it ceases to bring him pleasure; then the constant pursuit
for a higher status would come to an end. There would be
peace, because cessation of desires itself implies freedom from
sorrow.
The Taittiriya Upani~ad contains an astonishing account
of the reality and insignificance of worldly happiness.
sai!,anandasya mimamsa bhavati. yuva syat
sadhuyuvadhyayaka~ asistho dradhistho balistho
tasyeyam prthivi sarvtJ' vittasy~ ';i;F7Ja sytit~
sa eko manu!'a ananda~
(Taittir/ya Upani$ad)
Suppose a young, strong, and handsome man were given
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Philosophy of Divine Loue
the whole world full of wealth; he would naturally be considered
to be the happiest man in the world. But listen to what
the Upani~d says-
te ye satam manu!'a ananda~
sa eko manu!,yagandharvar,tamananda~
(Taittir/ya Upani$ad)
Suppose his experience of happiness is considered as
one measure or unit of human joy. This one measure of
human joy, multiplied hundreds of times is equal to one
measure of joy of the human gandharvas. Again the Upani~d
states -
te ye satam manu!'yagandharvar,tam ananda~
sa eko devagandharvar,tamananda~
(Taittir/ya Upani$ad)
One measure of happiness of human gandharvas,
multiplied hundreds of times is equal to one measure of
happiness of the divine gandharvas. bgain-
te ye satam devagandharvar,tamananda~
sa eka~ pitfJ:Jam ciralokalokanamananda~
(Taittir/ya Upani$ad)
The happiness of the divine gandharvas, increased
hundreds of times, is equal to one unit of joy of Pitrloka
(manes).
te ye satam pitfJ:Jam ciralokalokanamananda~
sa eka ajanajanam devanamananda~
(Taittir/ya Upani$ad)
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 Philosophy of Divine Loue
One measure of joy of the manes, multiplied hundreds
of time is equal to one measure of joy of the gods born
in the Ajanaja heaven.
te ye satamajanajanam devanamanandal;J
sa ekal;J karmadevanam devanamanandah
(Taittiriya Upani~ad)
The joy of the gods of Ajanaja heaven, multiplied hundreds
of times, is equal to the joy of the karma devas. Again the
Upani~d states-
te ye satam karmadevanam devanamanandah
sa eko devanamanandal;J. te ye satam devana'm-
anandal;J sa eka indrasyanandal;J. te ye satam-
indrasyanandal;J sa eko brhaspater anandal;J
(Taittirlya Upanisad)
One unit of joy of karmadevas, multiplied hundreds of
times, is equal to one measure of joy of the devas. Again
one measure of joy of the devas, increased hundreds of times
is equal to the joy of Indra. The joy of Indra, increased
hundreds of times, is equal to one measure of joy of B,haspati.
te ye satam brhaspateranandal;J sa ekah
prajapateranandal;J. te ye satam prajapater
anandal;J sa eko brahma':la anandal;J.
(Taittirlya Upani~ad)
One unit of joy of B,haspati, multiplied hundreds of times,
is equal to one unit of joy of Prajapati. If the joy of Prajapati
were multiplied hundreds of times, it is equal to the happiness
of Brahma.
All the levels of happiness in the abodes referred to in
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Philosophy of Divine Loue
this hymn are within the realm of Maya. Therefore, there
is unhappiness, dissatisfaction and unfulfillment everywhere.
Perfect happiness or true happiness is countless of miles distant
from all these abodes. It is only when we attain perfect
happiness, that we will be eternally satisfied, gratified, blissful
and immortal. In the Gita, the Lord says to Arjuna-
abrahmabhuvanallokal;J punaravartino'rjuna
(Glta)
"0 Arjuna! There is no trace of perfect happiness, right
up to the abode of Brahma. Having attained even that abode,
one continues to revolve in the endless cycle of birth and
death."
mamupetya tu kaunteya punarjanma na vidyate
(Glta)
"Only those who come to Me alone, are liberated from
material bondage." Now, when happiness is not attainable even
from the opulences of the abode of Brahma, is it not both
surprising and foolish to expect happiness by desiring to
become millionaires and billionaires in the material world? The
eminent Saint, Veda Vyasa stated-
vat prithivyam vrihiyavam hira':lyam pasaval;J striyal;J
na duhyanti manal;J pritim pumsal;J kamahatasya te
(Bhagauatam)
Even if a man is given all the possible material possessions
anyone could ever desire, his desire for more will be the
same as it was from the very beginning. In fact, Veda Vyasa
goes to the extent of saying-
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Philosophy of Divine Love
glrlrmahan girerabdhir mahanabdher nabho mahat
nabhaso'pi pararil brahma tato'pyasa duratyaya
(Veda Vyiisa)
A mountain is said to be huge, but bigger than the
mountain is the sea, bigger than the sea is the sky, and
bigger than the sky is God, who is referred to as infinite.
But there is something that is even bigger than God, and
that is desire. In fact, it may be possible to know the
unknowable God, comprehend He who is incomprehensible,
see Him who is imperceptible, but there is no example in
the history of man, from time immemorial, of any person
who experienced complete satisfaction, having attained the
innumerable sense objects of the material world. You may
have heard of an abode named svarga, i.e. heaven, where
there is a lot of happiness. But the Vedas refute this stating _
avidyayaril bahudha vartamana
vayaril krtartha ityabhimanyanti balah.
. through the attainment of material objects. What a way to
yatkarmir:1O na pravedayanti
ragat tenatural:r k!,ir:lUlokascyavante
(Muncfaka Upani~ad)
There is ignorance, unhappiness and dissatisfaction in
heaven. Therefore, only the most foolish strive to attain it.
There is no perfect happiness in that abode. It is merely
an abode where people are sent for a limited time as a'
reward for their virtuous actions. Thereafter, they are sent
back to lower existences according to the nature of their
past actions. Attainment of heaven has even been condemned
by Veda Vyasa-
adyantavanta evai!'aril lokal:r karmavinirmital:r
dukl:rodarkastamoni!,~hal:r k!,udranandal:r sucarpital:r
(Bhiigavatam)
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Philosophy of Divine Love
The Gita also states-
te taril bhuktva svargalokaril visalaril
k!,ir;Je pUr;Jye martyalokaril visanti
(Gitii)
The RamayaDa supports this fact-
svargahu svalpa anta dul:rkhadayi
(RiimiiyaDa)
The implication is that all these abodes, including that
of heaven up to the abode of Brahma, like this world, are
material. As they are within the realm of Maya, it is impossible
to attain our goal of spiritual bliss there.
It is astonishing that those who accept the Veda and
the scriptures do not believe this truth. This is why they are
engaged in a never-ending hopeless search for happiness
waste this precious human life!
This human life is unattainable even by the gods. The
rarity of this human form has been emphasized in all the
scriptures -
nrdehamadyaril sulabharil sudurlabharil
'plavaril sukalparil gurukar7.Jadharam
mayanukulena nabhasvateritaril
puman bhavabdhiril na taret sa atmaha
(Bhiigavatam)
The Ramayana says-
sura durlabha sadgranthani gava
(RiimiiyaDa)
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Philosophy of Divine Love
Now isn't it absurd for men to aspire for the attainment
of heavenly joys, when the heavenly gods themselves crave
to attain the human form? But the question naturally arises,
"Why do people in heaven desire this human form when
greater treasures are attainable in heaven? The joys of this
material world are totally insignificant in comparison. "
However, when you understand the reason you will no longer
be perplexed. The truth is that heaven is only a temporary
abode where people are sent as a reward for their good
actions. There, the souls merely enjoy the rewards for their
virtuous actions, but do not possess the freedom to perform
karma or fruit-yeilding a~tion. It is only in the human form,
where, though there is suffering for the past actions, there
is also a unique opportunity to work towards attaining freedom
from the bondage of action. Man can attain freedom from
material bondage through practice of spiritual discipline.
However, those in heaven are deprived of this opportunity
because there is no freedom to act. Thus to desire heavenly
joys and work towards attaining them, is absolutely foolish.
There is no true happiness right up to the abode of Brahma,
and as this includes all the other celestial abodes, it is obvious
that expecting or aspiring to attain happiness from the limited
splendours of this material world, is absolute madness. We
must seriously reflect upon the fact that there is not a trace
of true happiness anywhere apart from God, as all the other
abodes are dominated by Maya. Wherever Maya rules, it
is impossible to attain the bliss of the soul.
Now observe the constantly fluctuating and unusual nature
of the world. There is constant predominance of the three
gw:Jas (modes) or mental temperaments in the mind of each
and every individual soul. These gw:tas are sattva, rajas and
tamas, and they are constantly fluctuating. Sometimes the
sattva gw:ta predominates, sometimes the rajas gw:ta and
sometimes the tamas gw:ta governs the mind. When the sattva
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Philosophy of Divine Love
gw:t a governs the mind, a person is calm and serene. When
the rajas mode prevails, he becomes achve, hopeful, and
ambitious for power, passion and profit. When the tamas mode
takes hold, he becomes lazy and violent. Now since these
gunas constantly fluctuate, every individual has varymg
te~peraments throughout the day. Another fact about the
gw:tas is that there is no surety about which gw:ta will
predominate at any given time of the day. Normally the
atmosphere or environment that a person stays in most of
the time, determines the gw:ta that will predominate and the
other two will become subordinate.
There is one more point worth observation. There is
a lack of sattva qualities and thought in our present times.
It is only when a person receives a considerable amount of
sattvika influence, that he is occasionally dominated by this
temperament. But on the other hand, because there is ~n
abundance of rajasika environment today, a person IS eaSily
overpowered by this gUDa even if there is the slightest
association. Similarly, the tamasika gUDa is the most powerful
gUDa in today's world. Suppose you are engaged in prayer,
you are now in a sattvika environment. At that moment, your
wife or son, addressing you lovingly comes to you. You see
them, hear them, and experiencing their loving touch,
immediately enter the rajasika gUDa. Just then your neighbour
also comes in and angrily says, "You are the biggest rogue,
I have met." The moment you hear this, your temperament
immediately changes from rajasika to tamasika, that is, into
anger. This is the constant play of the fluctuating gw:t as in
each and every individual.
With these constantly changing gw:tas in each individual,
how is it possible for anyone to have steady feelings and
faith in God and the Saints? Sometimes we consider God
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 Philosophy of Divine Love
to be merciful, sometimes we think of Him as an impartial
judge who merely dispenses rewards for our actions, and at
other times we blame Him for being cruel, and even go to
the extent of cursing Him, "What injustice there is in the
kingdom of God! My neighbour was worried because he had
twelve children. Now he has just had the thirteenth! And
I had only one child, and that one child died today."
Although God and the Saints are beyond the influence
of the three guryas, they appear to be endowed with these
temperaments because our own perception is coloured by them.
The astonishing fact is that the one who sees God through
this defective vision, is unable to judge whether God is
dominated by the three guryas or whether his own thoughts
are projected upon whatever he perceives.
When each and everyone suffers from this disease, the
wife, husband, father, son, friend etc., how then can two
people possibly be friends? Friendship may be possible only
coincidentally, i.e. when two individuals are predominated by
the same gUt;la, at the same time. But even in this case,
friendship may not necessarily result because, though the guna
is the same, there is always a difference in the degree of
intensity of the gUt;la in each person. Take for example a
husband and wife, who were dominated by rajas gUt;la. They
agreed to spend the evening at the movies. However, on
the way to the theatre, they overheard a spiritual discourse.
Although both were exposed to the same spiritual influence,
their reactions were entirely different. The husband was
unaffected by the profound statements of the speaker, because
the prevailing rajas gut;la in him was very strong. In the
wife, the rajas gut;la was less predominant, so the little that
she heard of the speech, stimulated the sativa gurya, and she
suggested to her husband that they should stay back
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Philosophy of Divine Love
to listen to the entire spiritual discourse. He became angry
saying, "You suddenly appear to be very religious. You can
attend the lecture if you wish. I am going to the movies."
Saying that, he walked off.
Such arguments are simply a result of a difference in
the degree of intensity of the gUt;las in each individual. The
astonishing fact is that, it is human nature to expect that
the entire world will agree with you all the time, and some
of us actually believe that this is the reality. If even one
person opposes you, you are not only surprised but also
miserable. If you understood the play of these constantly
changing guryas, you would be surprised if even one person
agreed with you the whole day. But unfortunately you possess.
a false understanding. That is why if even one person
contradicts you, it surprises you. The reality is that there is
neither agreement nor opposition in the world. Whatever we
perceive is due to the interaction of the three gUt;las. When
these gUt;las agree, there is friendship, and when they are
contradictory, there is opposition. Once this philosophy is
understood, you will never be unhappy when someone is
hostile, nor will you be involved in the constant business of
expecting everyone to agree with you.
For example, if a madman was to abuse you and you
return the abuse, obviously people will think that you also
have become mad, because you have taken offence at the
madman's words. The same thing happens in the world. Each
and every person is compulsively dominated by the constantly
fluctuating guryas, so why should you be hurt by another
person's behaviour? Why don't you remember that he is
infected by the disease of the three guryas? He deserves pity.
To be angry or upset by his behaviour certifies your own
madness. Someone says you are 'bad', and it hurts you.
The fact that you were hurt, proves that you are bad. If
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Philosophy of Divine Love
you were good, Le. sensible, then you would have ignored
his words by thinking that he is mad, being infected by the
three gUJ:las. On the other hand, if you are actually a bad
person, there is no question of feeling hurt, because he is
speaking the truth. By being disturbed by a mere sentence,
you have fallen into the trap of anger and other associated
diseases of the mind.
Isn't it astonishing? Just tell someone that he is a little
short-tempered and he will immediately deny it in an angry
outburst, "How dare you make such a comment? When have
you seen me angry?" Observe, he is asking in anger! When
he has given way to anger, is there any need of a reply
to this question? This drama is a common part of each
individual's life. He who suffers from any imperfection, is not
aware of it because the knowing faculty Le. the intellect itself
is dominated by the three gUJ:las. Hence, it cannot give
judgement against itself. But why not accept the truth? In
the world, when someone introduces a clerk, he says, "He
is a clerk." Does this man object or become angry? "Why
didn't you introduce me as a manager?" A man who is blind,
is referred to as a blind man. He does not object or feel
bad. Why then do we get upset without reason when someone
calls us greedy, hot-tempered, or boastful, although we do
give vent to these feelings several times a day? We are
overpowered by feelings of resentment day and night. We
constantly think, contemplate upon mere words, and
frequently resort to vindictive action. Isn't it an amazing drama!
Most worldly people suffer from a very great delusion.
Each one thinks, "Everybody loves me and favours me."
I can challenge that no woman in this material world loves
her husband entirely for the sake of his happiness, no man
loves his wife for the sake of her happiness. No worldly
father loves his son only for the sake of the son's happiness.
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Philosophy of Divine Love
When a husband, a wife, a father, a son etc., cannot love
one another for the sake of the other's happiness, then to
expect this from other casual acquaintances in the world,
signifies a greater madness than the madness of a madman
in a mad-house. But this is what we are striving for today!
You may object saying, "My husband (or my wife) loves
me for the sake of my happiness." This is exactly the kind
of delusion everyone suffers from. You never realize that each
one deceives the other with mere talks about caring for the
other's happiness, while the actual aim is happiness of the
self. In spite of this constant deception, you call yourself
wise. Until an individual attains true happiness, it is impossible
for him to do anything for the sake of another person's
happiness. And if it appears that someone is selfless, then
you can be sure that there is definitely some great hidden
selfishness behind that action, which will become apparent
later.
If a wife claims that she loves her husband entirely for
the sake of his happiness, a small test will easily reveal the
actuality. Simply write a fictitious letter on behalf of the
husband to another woman. Use some shocking sentences
like , "I love no one but you. I have been fooling my wife
all these years and I am waiting for an opportunity to get
rid of her so that I can live the rest of my life in peace
with you." The moment the wife reads the letter, her love
for her husband will immediately turn to hatred. There will
be a storm of strong language between the two. Now even
if the wife were told that the whole thing was a pretence,
she will experience some difficulty in returning to normal
relationship with her husband. 1 am not suggesting that you
actually test your loved ones in this manner. This example
only reveals how quickly worldly love can come to an end,
as each one desires only his or her own happiness. Had
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Philosophy of Divine Love
the wife desired her husband's happiness, she would not have
been upset by the letter. On the contrary, she would have
been pleased to share in her husband's happiness, because
her only desire would have been to see him happy. But
there is no such selfless love in the world. A simple test
of love can befool even the most intelligent person, so the
question of a common man acting sensibly just does not
arise. The following hymn from the Veda reveals the selfish
nature of worldly relations-
na va are patyul;a kamaya patil.t priyo bhavaty-
atmanas tu kamaya patil.t priyo bhavati. na va
are jayayai kamaya java priya bhavatyatmanas-
tu kamaya java priya bhavati. na va are
putrar;JariJ kamaya putral.t priya bhavanty-
atmanastu kamaya putral.t priya bhavanti....
(Veda)
"No worldly husband, Wife, father, son, etc., can love
one another for the sake of the other's happiness. Each one
loves for the sake of his or her own happiness." Worldly
love is nothing but a naked play of selfishness. Each actor
plays a different role on the basis of his own intellect. But
until we understand where our true selfishness lies, that is,
until there is a firm decision that the material world is to
be renounced, our ultimate purpose or aim will not be fulfilled.
This means, freeing oneself of the love and hate realtionship
in the world and centering our love exclusively on God
van mathe baru hoi ghrta sikata te baru tela
binu hari bhajana na bhava tariya yaha siddhanta apela
(Riimiiyar:lQ)
The Ramayat:\a refers to the futility of our efforts to
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Philosophy of Divine Love
realize our aim of Supreme happiness from the material world,
and compares it with trying to extract butter from water, or
oil from sand. In fact the result of our striving in the world
for happiness is even worse than this. Whatever actions we
perform will result in bondage, because we will be bound
by the fruits of our actions, and there will be no end.
Hence, the best remedy is not to consider anyone as
either your friend, or enemy. This world is a place for fulfilling
our aim of God-realization. When some realized personality
tells us that the path to attain this goal lies not in the direction
of the material world but in the opposite direction, we must
follow this advice, surrender ourself to God and attain that
Supreme bliss. But those who do not follow it, continue to
centre their love in the material world, as they have done
in countless past lives. If we consider the aforesaid philosophy,
we can see that most people waste their time and energy
in the attempt to be called good, even though it is totally
impossible to achieve any success in this endeavour. We don't
ever make an effort to become good, we only want to be
called good. The result is that our whole life becomes a
pretence. We are constantly restless in the vicious circle of
artificiality, acting and social etiquette. Just think, there have
always been, and always will be, two types of people in the
world: good and bad. The people belonging to the spiritual
realm are good, and those dominated by the three gUt:1as
are bad. Even amongst the bad, there are three categories;
tamas guna being the worst, rajas guna better than tamas,
and sattva gUt:1a better than rajas.
Your aim should be to attain the true goodness of the
spiritual realm, attaining which there is no question of ever
becoming bad again. Those belonging to the category of
supreme goodness are opposed by the category of bad people,
consisting of the three types, tamasika, rajasika and sat!vika.
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Philosophy of Divine Love
On the other hand, those belonging to the material realm
consisting of the three gut:\as, are bound to be criticized by
those of the spiritual realm. When opposition from one side
is inevitable, why not try to become good in the spiritual
realm so that we can attain our eternally blissful state? Why
worry about what worldly people will say? The material world,
being under the influence of the three gUt;las, is bound to
continue its criticism. You can understand this truth from
an example.
Once Lord Siva and his consort Parvati set out to tour
the world along with their mount, the bull, Nandi. Every
action of the Divine couple was criticized by the worldly people.
When both walked alongside their mount Nandi, they were
criticized for being foolish not to ride upon the bull. When
they did mount it, they were again criticized for being cruel
to animals. Both of them immediately got off the mount.
This time they decided that Parvati alone would ride on the
bull, and Siva would walk alongside. But people again criticized
them, complaining that in the age of Kaliyuga men become
slaves of ~omen. Hearing these comments, Parvati got off
and Lord Siva mounted the animal. This time the criticism
was against the strong, sturdy man who sat comfortably on
the mount, without the least consideration of allowing the lady
to sit in his place. Eventually Lord Siva and Parvati decided
to carry the bull on their shoulders. This time criticism was
inevitable. They were branded as being crazy people, who
needed to be sent to a mad-house for treatment. Thus, it
is obvious that there is no standard behaviour or action that
will be approved of by everyone in the world. It is
fruitless to waste our time and effort in this direction. We
cannot destroy the world, so the only way out is to get rid
of the inner world and devote ourselves to the right
path.
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Philosophy of Divine Love
Now, here is an astonishing fact which requires thought.
Suppose you are asked to find the biggest fool in the world
and lock him up in a room. For seven days, give him neither
food nor water. Imagine how hungry he will be? On the
eighth day, serve him the most delicious food on a golden
plate. How delighted he will be to see that food. Now just
as he is about to put the first morsel in his mouth , have
someone in whom he trusts, secretly whisper to him that
the food has been poisoned. He will immediately leave the
food. "Why aren't you eating, when you are so hungry?"
He will reply, "There is poison in the food, [ don't want
to die." Again ask him, "Have you experienced the taste of
poison to confirm that there is poison in the food." "Taste
poison! Are you crazy? I would not have been here, had
I experienced the taste of it." Ask him a third question, "Have
you ever seen poison?". "I have never felt the need to, because
[ have never wanted to commit suicide." Now ask him a
last question, "Did you actually see anyone mix poison in
the food?" "No, I didn't. But it was my friend who told
me, and I believed him. "
Observe, this starving fool has complete belief in what
his friend has said to him, even though he himself has neither
experienced the taste of poison, nor seen it. But you who
claim to be intelligent, actually see and even experience the
poison of material things, yet you do not become detached.
From this you can judge your own so-called intelligence and
sensibility. What we must do is to seriously contemplate the
nature and reality of the world. This is not something that
the scriptures have advised, but if you are honest with yourself,
you will agree that your own daily experience must surely
prove the necessity. No one should have any hesitation or
doubt in accepting this need.
Another astonishing fact is that people challengingly
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proclaim that the world is an illusion; there is no happiness
in it. Yet they are speedily running towards the material world.
The reason for this requires serious consideration. When a
man is deprived of material wealth, husband, wife, children
etc., he becomes philosophical, and in that depressed state
declares, "This world is an illusion. I will not be fooled by
it." But the moment he acquires more possessions, he clings
to them, forgetting all his earlier philosophy.
This obviously means that he does not consider this world
an illusion, but the absence or destruction of worldly
possessions pushes him to make this wavering decision. In
India, when anyone dies, the body is carried to the
crematorium with loud chanting of the words, "Rama Nama
Satya Hai." The meaning of these words is that the name
of the Lord alone is the true reality, everything else, i.e.
all relations in the world are impermanent and perishable.
Suppose someone's son dies. Accompanied by the chanting
of "Rama Nama Satya Hai", his body is being carried out
of the house. The father too is chanting this supreme truth.
All of a sudden, his son whom the doctor has erroneously
declared dead, sits up. The father immediately stops the
chanting, because now his son alone is the truth for him.
The reason he stopped the chanting of this supreme truth
is that it is considered inauspicous by people. They associate
it with death. Had they thought the name of Lord Rama
to be auspicious, they would have happily chanted it on every
occasion. But unfortunately, most people falsely believe that,
if the words "Rama Nama Satya Hai" are uttered, it may
result in a death in the family. Isn't it ironic? The name
of the Lord gives immortality, but the so-called believers in
the world make a totally opposite use of it. The reality is
that we consider wealth, family and fame to be our centres
of happiness. Our belief in God is generally limited to the
desire for increasing and protecting these material poSsessions
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Philosophy of Divine Love
and relations, through Him. How then can we claim the world
to be an illusion? It is only when someone or something
dear to us is destroyed, that we become philosophical and
declare that everything is transient, an illusion, and that nothing
actually belongs to anyone. Can this be termed as knowledge,
or ignorance? It is only the absence of material things that
forces us into this temporary knowledge. When a son insults
his father, when a wife insults her husband, or vice-versa,
the knowledge that every relation is selfish and untrustworthy,
enters the mind. You think, "No one can fool me now. [
have realized the reality of worldly love. From now on, I
am not going to love anyone." But two minutes later, if your
son or wife apologizes to you, "Please forgive me. I have
spoken harsh words which I did not intend. You mean
everything to me.", your previous decision immediately flies
out of the window. "Well, that is exactly what I was thinking.
How could my son or wife possibly say such a thing to me?"
ObViously the knowledge that everyone is selfish is limited
only to the time that there is friction between relations. But
the moment they show love, this knowledge changes
immediately. This is our fluctuating state everywhere and every
moment. The conclusion is that we hate or resent the absence
of worldly things, and not their possession.
If we claim to believe in God, then we must also accept
the words of God.
tam bhramsayiimi sampadbhyo yasya cecchiimyanugraliam
yasyahamanurgrhJ.1ami hari{'ye taddhanariJ sanail;a
(Bhiigavatam)
The Lord Himself declares in the Bhagavatam, "I deprive
those whom I grace, of their worldly wealth, relations, name,
fame and so on." In other words the absence of material
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Philosophy of Divine Love
possessions signifies the grace of God. How many people
fully accept this truth? There are only a select few who do.
Some of you might ask whether it is not possible to
attain God while possessing all the opulences of the world?
There were great souls like King Janaka and others who were
worldly wealthy, and at the same time totally surrendered.
But it must be noted that they were realized souls. In the
beginning, when we are engaged in spiritual practice we need
to save ourselves from drowning in the desire for the external
splendours of the world, as this can bring about the downfall
of even the greatest spiritual aspirants.
nahiriJ kou asa janama Jaga miihiriJ
prabhutii piii jiihi mada niihiriJ
(RiimiiyaT)a)
We have the example of a lady named Kunt!, who begged
for an extraordinary favour from God-
vipadal:t santu na~ sasvat tatra tatra jagadguro
bhavato darsanariJ yatsyiidapunarbhavadarsanam
(Bhiigavatam)
"0 Lord, let me be deprived of all material splendours,
and give me hardships instead. In the absence of material
things, I will not be vain, and humility will be easy. This
will help me to progress towards You."
Thus, in the initial stage of devotional practice, our
contact with the world should be minimised to the extent
that is absolutely necessary. Secondly, the mind should not
get attached to any object, as it is only then that perfection
can be attained. Butter taken out from milk will retain its
form even when put into water. But if the milk is mixed
90
Philosophy of Divine I:-ve "::0
1kJ tifC"'CI JW;~ w.J.,. <;
ob<) d ?M /oJf'"2 .j C__ ,
with water before the making of butter, it will mix with the
water, thus losing its pure form. In the same way,' when'
we seclude ourselves from material objects, utilizing only that
which is necessary, and fix our mind upon God through
devotion, we will attain that supreme Divine Love. Once we
attain that, we can defy the attraction of all fleeting material
pleasures. Although seclusion does not mean the end of desires,
yet there is no doubt that direct contact with material objects
stimulates the desire for them. Just as a child cries for sweets,
even though they are not before him; but if
he can see them then he will do everything possible to get
them. Thus direct contact with material objects increases the
desire for them. The less we have of material things, the
better it is for us, because the attachment of the mind will
be less, and devotional practice will be easier. Without this
detachment, the state of both the pauper and the king will
be the same. The one who does not have even one dress
to wear, is restless for one; and the one who has fifty,
is restless for the fifty-first one! There is no difference in
the degree of restlessness. There are four categories of people
in the world - UP{ OQJJ fb~)~~~"-tJ::. ck,v -j~ <e.'1, cf'
YeP-J -'. 1.. eJ<:. jfJ'v'de- U ~
1. Some people ever remain engrossed in spirituality?e.
in spite of possessing the allunng, matenal thmgs. c4.:1c);J
~~
2. Some people, in spite of not possessing any
material splendours, constantly think about them and are always
restless to attain them. They are not spiritually inclined.
\ 3. Most people, intoxicated by their material
possessions, run towards the world for more and more, and
forget God.
4. Most people, because of absence of material
possessions, lose hope in the world and surrender to God.
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 Philosophy of Divine Love
Thus, they understand the true reality of the world through
spiritual association, and become detached from the world.
Amongst these four categories, there are very few who
belong to the first and second category. To possess the alluring
material splendours and have neither pride nor attachment
for them, is possible only for a highly evolved spiritual person.
Again, to have no material possessions and yet be vain is
not usually seen in the world. Normally, one who is not
endowed with material possessions is humble and inclined
towards God. But there may be a few who though poor,
are not spiritually inclined owing to bad sarhskaras or bad
company. Most people in the world belong to the third and
fourth category. The Ramayal}a refers to a universal law-
sukha ke mathe sila pare nama hive te java
balihari va dukha ki jo pala pala nama ratava
(Riimiiyol)o)
"Cursed be that happiness which leads to forgetfulness
of the Lord, and blessed be that sorrow which leads to constant
remembrance of Him." But we are engaged in constant efforts
to attain those cursed possessions that lead to forgetfulness
of God. At the same time, we occasionally think that it would
be good to realize God.
The bitter truth is that we have a firm belief that there
definitely is happiness in the world. If not today, we will
surely attain it in future. In this constant hope, we have
wasted innumerable lives, and who knows how long this
delusive belief of ours will continue? Mere reflection upon
the actual nature of worldly happiness will make us realize
the futility of our belief.
Suppose two college friends happen to see a girl pass
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Philosophy of Divine Love
by on their way to college. One of the boys is totally infatuated
by her and immediately resolves to gain her hand in marriage.
His friend, on the other hand thought, "I don't even know
anything about her family, community or character. Why bother
to get involved in this game? There is no surety that I will
be the kind of man she would choose as a husband." Thus
the boy peacefully went to college to study, disregarding all
thoughts about that girl. Meanwhile, the first boy got involved
in finding out the whereabouts of the girl. Then he made
constant attempts to establish a friendship. The eventual result
of this disturbed state of mind was that he failed in his
examination, and that failure depressed him for years. Now
suppose he eventually manages to marry that girl and is happy.
Observe, he was contented even before he desired to marry
her, but he suffered unnecessarily during the intervening years.
The other boy, who was indifferent towards the girl, passed
the examination and also married, but without going through
any of the agitation suffered by his friend. Thus we ourselves
make desires, suffer when they are unfulfilled, and eventually
return to the original state which we occupied before the
desire arose.
It is like deliberately stepping into mud, then washing
your feet and feeling clean again. But your feet were clean
even before you stepped into the mud. In the same way,
we make desires and then suffer. If the desire is fulfilled we
are happy. If it is unfulfilled, and that happens frequently,
then not only is our time and effort wasted, but we may
possibly suffer from the disappointment of failure throughout
our life.
This is our imaginary worldly happiness. Through
experience, we can analyse what our mental state is before
and after we make a desire. Once we realize the reality
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of the world, detachment will follow. Now let us seriously
contemplate upon the meaning of detachment.
Most often the word 'attachment' is associated with love.
But this is not the complete meaning of attachment.
Attachment means involvement of the mind. This involvement
of the mind can either be through love or even hate. Thus,
whether it be through feelings of love or feelings of hate,
or in any other way, the involvement of the mind in all
cases will be referred to as attachment. When there is neither
attachment through love nor attachment through hate, that
state is referred to as detachment or non-attachment.
This fact can very easily be understood from our own
experience. When you think of someone who is dear to you,
your mind is occupied with thoughts of that dear one, "When
will I meet her? How will I meet her? She really is a nice
person, she loves me, she cares for me, etc.". In the same
way, your mind occupies itself with thoughts of a person you
dislike or hate, "Where will I meet her? When will I meet
her? How will I meet her? She is my enemy, she
is always trying to harm me. I must take revenge on her,
etc."
Thus the state of the mind is the same in case of both
love and hate. This is the main reason why, not only the
gopis who united their minds with Lord Kr~l}a through Love,
attained Divine-realization, but the demons like Kamsa, Raval}a,
etc., who united their minds with Him through feelings of
hostility, also attained DiVine-realization. Veda Vyasa reveals
this in the following Iines-
kamariJ krodhariJ bhayariJ snehamaikyariJ sauhardameva ca
nityam harau vidadhato yanti tan mayatam hi te
(Bhiigavatamj
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Whether the mind is attached to God through lust, anger,
fear, love, or any other way, the result is God-realization.
The implication is that, in order to detach oneself from the
world, it is necessary to free the mind of both love and
hate. In other words, one has to achieve a state of indifference
towards the world.
kabira khaga bazara mem saba ki mange khaira
na kahu som dosti na kahu som baira
(Kab/raj
Detachment is being able to live in the hustle and bustle
of the world, without feelings of friendship or enmity towards
anyone.
Suppose a mother happens to lose her child in a fair.
Weeping bitterly, she is searching for him. Suddenly she spots
a child at a distance, whose dress, age and height appears
similar to her own son's. She rushes forward to embrace the
child, crying, "My son, my son", presuming that he is hers.
But when she comes face to face with him she realizes her
mistake. She, who was all ready to embrace the child, becomes
indifferent towards him. She never for a moment thinks, "I
can't find my son, so let me love this child." Nor does she
experience any feelings of hostility, "j thought you were my
son, but now I see that you are not. Why did you deceive
me?" It is this state of indifference, neither love nor hate,
which is called detachment.
An alcoholic is on his way to a pub to get a drink.
He passes a number of shops selling various things. He sees
them, but is indifferent. He does not stop at any shop thinking,
"Oh! why not have some sweets instead of a drink?" Nor
does he quarrel with any of the shopkeepers saying, "Why
are you selling sweets, when I want a drink?" He indifferently
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passes by every shop and goes straight to the pub. This is
detachment. Walking through the market-place of the world,
we must neither love nor hate, but must make our way straight
to the shop of God, which alone is the centre of Supreme
Divine bliss.
It is significant to note that, so long as there is the
slightest attachment to anything apart from God, whether it
be through love or hate, it is impossible to totally surrender
oneself to Him. And detachment is impossible until there is
a firm conviction, that there is neither true happiness nor
sorrow in the world.
To attain this conviction, constant reflection upon the
reality of the world is absolutely necessary. It is only through
constant reflection that conviction will come. Merely thinking
about it once will be of no help, because there is an
accumulation of contradictory thoughts collected over
innumerable lives, in every individual. These conceptions have
to be fought.
janmamrtyujaravyadhidu~khado{ianudarsanam
(Gita)
Constant reflection about birth, death, pain, disease,
sorrow etc., will result in emptying the mind of worldly
attachments. This detached mind has to be surrendered to
God. The result of surrender is attainment of God's grace,
and this grace in turn results in attainment of Divine knowledge
and bliss.
Some people deny the need of surrender by offering
the following argument. They claim that once the mind is
free of worldly love and hate, there is nothing left to be
done, because in such a state there will be no origin of
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desires. If there is no desire, there will be neither greed
nor anger, both of which automatically result upon the
fulfillment or non-fulfillment of any desire. Thus the question
of unhappiness or sorrow in this case does not arise at all.
So why bother wasting effort in surrender to God? To hold
such an opinion is naIve. Even if the mind is detached, it
is impossible to refrain from desiring until we attain perfect
bliss, because it is the mind's nature to desire.
The second reason is that the mind devoid of love and
hate cannot remain inactive. How can it cease to work? It
is absolutely impossible. It has already been proved that the
mind cannot remain inactive even for a second.
The third reason is that owing to sarhskaras or potential
tendencies of innumerable past lives, the ongm of desire is
natural. No one can escape it or stop it.
The fourth reason is that so long as the individual is
under the domination of Maya, it is his nature to have material
desires.
The fifth reason is that fulfillment of desires or complete
satisfaction is possible only after God-realization. It is impossible
to attain fulfillment before that. Merely realizing the illusory
nature of a mirage in the desert and becoming detached from
it, does not quench one's thirst. This thirst can only be
quenched when one actually drinks water. Thus detachment
is not enough, it has to be accompanied by surrender to
God.
To put it simply, suppose you have lost your way home.
A passerby tells you that you are on the wrong road. You
accept this fact, but will that acceptance enable you to reach
home? No. In the same way, it is not enough to know
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that the path of fulfillment of desires through possession of
worldly objects, is wrong. It may result in detachment, but
we must also find out which path will lead us to the blissful
abode of God. We must follow that path to reach our home,
in order to attain our desired aim.
There are some who claim that it is futile to engage
in efforts to detach ourselves. They state that if we directly
devote ourselves to God, detachment will come by itself. But
the question is, why will anyone love God, and with what
will he love Him? The answer given is that we will love
with the heart. The reason for loving Him would be that
He is the ocean of bliss, and attainment of bliss is our desired
goal. That bliss can only be attained by loving Him. However,
this view will immediately be opposed by the intellect. Because,
although people do accept that God is a source of happiness,
yet the world is also accepted as a source of happiness at
the same time. Not only that, worldly happiness can actually
be seen and experienced. Why then will anyone abandon it
to grope in the dark? Taking this into consideration, how
will the mind possibly love God? It is easy to make claims
or statements, but difficult to follow them. A deer, seeing
shining sand in a desert, believes that there certainly must
be water there, and doesn't abandon this belief until its death.
In the same way until the belief that there is no happiness
in the world is firmly fixed in the intellect, we cannot change
this decision of ours. Not even through innumerable lives!
There will always be this constant hope of attaining happiness
some time or other. Thus to state that direct devotion to
God will take care of everything, is only deceiving oneself.
After all, it is the intellect that governs the mind.
manasastu parii buddhirbuddheriitmii mahiinparah
(Veda)
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Philosophy of Divine Love
When the mind which is to be surrendered to God is
controlled by the intellect, and it is a firm belief of this intellect
that there is happiness in the material world, how will it possibly
let the mind be devoted ·to God? Will the mind automatically
be attached to God? This is absolutely impossible. If you state
that there were a number of examples of souls during the
descent of Lord Kr~t:la who just saw Him and became attached
to Him, then it is essential to understand who can perceive
that all-attractive Divine form of Lord Kr~t:la.
cidiinandamaya deha tumhiiri,
vigata vikiira jiina adhikiirl
(Riimiiyana)
"The body of the Lord is Divine. The material eyes can
never perceive the Divine form." How then can the mind
become engrossed in it? When Lord K,~na entered the demon
Kamsa's amphi-theatre, each and every person perceived Him
differently, according to their emotions.
malliiniimasanir':lrniirit naravara~....
(Bhiigauatam)
The same was the case when Lord Rama stood in King
Janaka's assembly hall. Each and everyone perceived Him
differently, and not everyone was attracted to Him.
vidu~ana
prabhu virii~amaya dlsii
bahu mukha kara paga 'ocana slsii
(RiimiiyarlO)
It was only those who were deserving and devoted that
perceived Him in His Divine, loving form.
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haribhaktana dekhe dou bhriitii
i~~adeva iva saba sukhadiitii
(Ramayana)
It is now apparent that if the mind is not attracted to
God even during His descent, then the question of being
attracted at other times just does not arise. In fact, there
is greater possibility of someone turning into an atheist after
perceiving the Divine Personalities of Rama, Krs':!a etc., during
their descensions, instead of being attracted by Them.
The reason is that, unless and until you understand the
mystery behind Their Divine forms and actions, you will
continue to interpret them as material, and hence there will
be no devotion. At this stage, guidance from a true Master
or Guru is essential.
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The Saint
Between detachment and surrender to God, there is need
of an entity, without whom the Supreme goal cannot be
attained. That entity is a Saint. For surrender to God, it is
the Saint who decides which path is the best for each devotee,
and it is he who removes all doubts faced by the aspirant
on the path. To attain realization of God, mere detachment
is not enough.
acaryavan puru$O hi veda.
(Veda)
parik~ya lokiin karmacitiin
briihma'.lo nirvedamiiyiin niistyakrtal;a krtena
tadvijniiniirtharil sa gurumeviibhigacchet
samitpii'.lil;a srotriyaril brahmani~~ham.
(Mur)c;laka Upani~ad)
"Learned men have performed rituals and arrived at the
conclusion that mere rituals cannot destroy the bondage of
action. On the contrary, they serve only to increase the
bondage. Hence, there is need of a Saint who has known
and experienced God." The Gita declares-
tad viddhi pra'.lipiitena parlprasnena sevayii
upadek~yanti te jniinaril jniininas tattvadarsinal;a
(Gita)
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